Christmas

Unwrap The Fun: Host A Holiday Gift Wrapping Party!

November 24, 2024 No Comments Christmas

Moms (and dads) everywhere are currently decking the halls to make this season as bright as they possibly can. They are doing it all while balancing end of year work challenges, end of semester school events, holiday events, and holiday shopping needs. It is SO BUSY! If getting together with your friends to chat and relax during this busy season seems impossible this time of year, try hosting this ladies night event designed to allow everyone to get a needed task done in a fun way, a Holiday Gift Wrapping Party!

Tips for Hosting a Holiday Wrapping Party Ladies Night

Send out a save the date early! Make sure your friends know in advance that they have this coming so they can get some of their shopping done on time and you high-achieving friends don’t already wrap them all up!
Provide holiday gift wrapping materials, but also encourage guests to bring their own, especially if they are doing something special for the holidays. If you’re using a theme in the wrapping materials provided (classic Christmas colors, winter whites, or brown paper to wrap up with string) then add that to the invitation.
Don’t forget to have some fun gift toppers and tags. Download my free printable holiday gift tags to print off on cardstock or label paper to top packages!
Provide some savory snacks that are easy to grab and eat. Charcuterie boards, vegetable platters, savory pastries, and small appetizers are great for this type of event. Add in some cookies to round it all off!
Let guests serve themselves drinks by providing a hot cocoa bar. Include some sparkling waters and perhaps wine to round out the menu, but let the hot cocoa be the star!

Give your friends an excuse to get away and still get things done— invite them to a Holiday Gift Wrapping Party!

Featured

Halloween Tips with KATU Afternoon Live

October 29, 2024 2 Comments Featured

It’s spooky season! KATU Afternoon Live had me back again to share my entertaining tips for my favorite holiday, Halloween! Watch my segment to see simple tips on making a Halloween charcuterie board and spooky Halloween cocktail that is sure to catch your guests eye!

Tips for a Spooky Halloween Cocktail Party:

Whether you are hosting a quick get together for the adults while the kids are out trick or treating, or you are putting together a teen Halloween party with mocktails, these tips are sure to win over even the most frighteningly picky of party guests to have a howling good time. (I know… terrible, but Halloween is just made for puns!)

Grazing Boards: Charcuterie boards (for those who eat meat, cheese boards for cheese only crew, or snack boards for those who like to mix it up) are ALL the rage for a reason… people can make snacks to their tastes and liking!

They can also be catered to different dietary restrictions. Note: Do not put meat and cheese on a board with fruit and nuts and say that it is vegan friendly because it has vegan-friendly foods… that does not cut it. You CAN make a vegan snack board that is completely filled with items that your Vegan friends and family can graze on. I’d recommend putting it on the other end of the table than the meat items or on its own, just to be a bit more accomodating and avoid contamination if possible. Same goes for any allergens!

Links marked with an asterisk

How to make your Halloween grazing board more spooky:

- - Use dark fruit and vegetables on the tray to pair with your meat and cheeses. Add in some dark chocolate for a fun sweet pairing to a tasty soft cheese like brie.
  - My favorite cheeses for a halloween cheese board or spooky charcuterie are Blue Cheese, a bright yellow Gouda, and white cheddar. A good way to add to the creepy appeal, and tastiness!, is by adding goat cheese balls rolled in black sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or fresh herbs. Oh, and don’t forget the famous cream cheese, cheese stick, and prosciutto meat hand with a clever trick! (I bought my cleaver cheese board knife on Amazon*!)
  - Add a meathead! I did this YEARS ago for a halloween party and have been perfecting my meathead game for years. (haha!) The trick to making it look super creepy (and keeping things food safe) is first adding a layer of saran wrap over a plastic halloween skull and covering it with a bit of cream cheese. Add in some roasted bell peppers for an extra creepy layer! Finally, pull off strips of prosciutto and lay onto the skull, dipping into the crevices and making sure the eyes and teeth stay clear of the meat. After covered put the meathead in the middle of a dish with tasty charcuterie and olives. My son likes to say, “this guy has a bit of meat on his bones!”
  - Add olives and peppers. Seriously, do it.

2. Decorate with things that creep you out! I am not a big fan of gore or scares. But, things that give me the heebie jeebies… spiders, rats, bugs, snakes, skulls, ghosts, vampires, witches, that is my jam. I like to decorate with layers of textures and lights.

3. Make a cocktail extra eerie with eyeballs! Use a 1 inch sphere ice tray* and blueberries to make the coolest little eyeballs to FILL your glass with to pair with nearly any cocktail. I paired it with a Booberry Eyeball (blueberry highball) cocktail.

What are your Halloween go-tos!?

A Well Crafted Pantry

Grocery Store Hacks: Surprise Your Friends with a Restaurant-Quality Fall Menu!

September 30, 2024 No Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

After a busy summer the routines of Fall always make me want to host friends. Enjoying drinks around the firepit on a crisp evening, sitting with friends around a table filled with my favorite Autumn dishes, and chatting the night away with glasses of port. However, despite the routines, Fall is just as busy if not moreso! So, that is where I pull out my Fall Dinner Party Hacks. Turn grocery store purchases into restaurant-quality dishes.

The below hacks were featured on KATU’s Afternoon Live, watch below to see the video!

Three Fall Dinner Party Menu Hacks

There is no shame in grabbing favorite pre-made items from a grocery store, deli, or restaurant to make your evening a touch easier when entertaining. While I enjoy cooking for others and crafting recipes from scratch, I also know my time is limited and will take necessary shortcuts when they don’t decrease the overall quality of my meal. If the day is busy and you want to have friends over in the evening, go to the grocery store and grab a few of the below items to create a Fall-themed dinner that will look and taste like you spent the day in the kitchen.

Mac & Cheese Stuffed Acorn Squash

What do you need from the grocery store for this beautiful Fall side or main course dish? Grab enough acorn squash for 1/2 squash per person (if serving as a side) and approximately 1 squash per person (if serving for main) and your favorite boxed mac and cheese (use the published servings to make sure you have enough to serve the guests that you have on hand). Make it extra special by topping it with a garnish that will go with the dish, but give it color and flavor. For example, I did shaved aged Gouda on this Gouda mac & cheese along with some smoked paprika.

Squash Soup (or dress up your favorite soup!)

Dress up your favorite Fall store-bought (or homemade) soup with a few garnishes right before you serve them. Not only will this add extra flavor to your dish, but it will make it look stunning and special. Add some pesto and heavy cream with pepita seeds and paprika to really make the squash soup sing!

Tip: To make sure the heavy cream doesn’t just sink to the bottom, whip the cream to nearly soft peak state. Add into a squeeze bottle to drizzle onto the soup or spoon it into the soup for a nice dollop.

Apple Cake Parfaits

Parfaits are one of my go-to easy, yet impressive desserts to serve. These are simple to create. You need pound cake or a good spiced cake cut into small bite sized cubes, apple pie filling, and homemade (or your favorite store bought) whipped cream. layer each ingredient in a clear glass bowl or glass for two layers. Start with cake, apple pie filling, then whipped cream and repeat. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and garnish with an apple slice and cinnamon stick.

These simple grocery store hacks make for easy, but tasty Fall treats.